Ducks Attack Message Board Forum

Does Pritchard have his degree? $35K from the G league may look more attractive than trying to lead a team with only two other scholarship players returning.

Unless he has some absolutely urgent financial matter, what a stupid, stupid decision.

I'm bummed, guys.

GrantDuck wrote:I'm bummed, guys.

Jeeez, this is getting reDUCKulous.

Good luck to him. Next season will be tough.

Ya that one hurts. His shot blocking is so valuable. blah!!!

Really wish Norris didn't leave.

mrpd21 wrote:This is absolutely brutal. I didn't think we would see something even closely resemble what happened to the softball team being so lean again for a while. This is flirting with that same problem. How many are even on the roster now? 7 or 8?

As of right now, we have 6 that can play next season.
Pritchard
Richardson
Duarte
Walker
Okoro
and Lawson as our only sub off the bench.

I see a lot of people making Jordan Bell comparisons. I am not sure where this comes from because I just don't see it at all. Yeah, sure, their shot blocking ability is elite and comparable, but that is where is stops. When Bell came out, his offense was better, his one on one defense was better, his ability to guard the pick and roll was better, and his body was in better position to handle banging with NBA bigs.

I like Wooten and wish him all the luck in the world, but comparing him to Bell is borderline insane. It's not close. The better comparison would probably be Boucher, but without Boucher's offensive skill set. If Boucher can't stick on an NBA roster, Wooten is going to have a hard time.

Wooten this last season was maybe comparable to Bell as a frosh.

StevensTechU wrote:Unless he has some absolutely urgent financial matter, what a stupid, stupid decision.

I will be Shocked if he even plays 1 min in the NBA in the next 3 years....

northbeachsf wrote:I see a lot of people making Jordan Bell comparisons. I am not sure where this comes from because I just don't see it at all. Yeah, sure, their shot blocking ability is elite and comparable, but that is where is stops. When Bell came out, his offense was better, his one on one defense was better, his ability to guard the pick and roll was better, and his body was in better position to handle banging with NBA bigs.

I like Wooten and wish him all the luck in the world, but comparing him to Bell is borderline insane. It's not close. The better comparison would probably be Boucher, but without Boucher's offensive skill set. If Boucher can't stick on an NBA roster, Wooten is going to have a hard time.

I dont get the Boucher comp.

Bell and Wooten are both undersized PFs. Significantly limited offensively. Athletically gifted and switchable on defense. Bell showed some play making his Junior year, but that hasn't translated to the NBA.

It wouldn't surprise me if Bell doesn't get a 2nd contract. I'd also be surprised if Wooten makes a NBA roster. They can still have lucrative pro careers overseas though.

Like with Troy Brown last year (and fans destroyed the kid for leaving, despite ending up #15 overall), it's all about leaving when your potential is at its highest. Brown had nothing to gain by coming back for his sophomore year, so he left. I think Wooten is probably in that same boat, just on a very different scale. No, he's not likely to get drafted -- but he's not likely to be drafted with another year of college under his belt, either. Or two years. He'll probably be a career G-League/overseas player, and he's probably being told that, so here we are. You can either play for free for another year or two and then go to Europe, or you can get paid to play in Europe now. His game is almost exclusively based on athleticism to an extent I haven't seen from another UO player in my lifetime, and his brand of crazy athleticism has a VERY FINITE lifespan. He isn't going to be jumping out of the gym like he can now when he's 34. His earning potential is highest right this moment, and he made a financial decision to cash in.

Jordan Bell very clearly turned a corner by the end of his sophomore year and scouts buzzed about him needing another season to refine his game to work himself into the first round. He did that, and it played out that way. Wooten is basically the same player right this minute he was his first day on campus, and I'm not hearing anything about him having the potential to round himself into a first (or even second) round draft pick. Therein lies the difference between the two, IMO.

Thurston wrote:Like with Troy Brown last year (and fans destroyed the kid for leaving, despite ending up #15 overall), it's all about leaving when your potential is at its highest. Brown had nothing to gain by coming back for his sophomore year, so he left. I think Wooten is probably in that same boat, just on a very different scale. No, he's not likely to get drafted -- but he's not likely to be drafted with another year of college under his belt, either. Or two years. He'll probably be a career G-League/overseas player, and he's probably being told that, so here we are. You can either play for free for another year or two and then go to Europe, or you can get paid to play in Europe now. His game is almost exclusively based on athleticism to an extent I haven't seen from another UO player in my lifetime, and his brand of crazy athleticism has a VERY FINITE lifespan. He isn't going to be jumping out of the gym like he can now when he's 34. His earning potential is highest right this moment, and he made a financial decision to cash in.

Jordan Bell very clearly turned a corner by the end of his sophomore year and scouts buzzed about him needing another season to refine his game to work himself into the first round. He did that, and it played out that way. Wooten is basically the same player right this minute he was his first day on campus, and I'm not hearing anything about him having the potential to round himself into a first (or even second) round draft pick. Therein lies the difference between the two, IMO.

Thank you, Thurston, this post took away the cynicism that had been bubbling up ovrr Wooten's decision, The relationship between fans and the players, in pro & college, is far different from what it used to be, just have to accept it.

I have a lot of appreciation for comments like Thurston's.

That said, I think he's making a major financial mistake. Oregon is willing to invest far more into Wooten's growth than the G-league or playing overseas. And contrary to popular belief, guys can and do develop offensively late. Kawhi Leonard, a defensive juggernaut, would have made himself a ton of money if he'd come back to SDSU another year or so. Wooten is making a hasty decision, IMO.

StevensTechU wrote:I have a lot of appreciation for comments like Thurston's.

That said, I think he's making a major financial mistake. Oregon is willing to invest far more into Wooten's growth than the G-league or playing overseas. And contrary to popular belief, guys can and do develop offensively late. Kawhi Leonard, a defensive juggernaut, would have made himself a ton of money if he'd come back to SDSU another year or so. Wooten is making a hasty decision, IMO.

Exactly, and Kawhi at least had a decent jumpshot that he developed in college. If Wooten just took one more year to develop a decent midrange jumpshot (off the dribble even), it'd go a long way in his draft stock.

I see where Thurston is coming from with that post, I just personally disagree with it a lot. Anyone, and I mean anyone, can learn to shoot and dribble a basketball with enough practice. The comparison to Brown is totally off as those are two completely different players with drastically different skillsets. Sure Brown could've used another year to refine his skills and maybe would've been drafted higher, but he still showed enough potential to be drafted at a very good spot. Nobody is criticizing King near as much as they are Wooten, because King at least has a standard skillset he can work off of that Wooten does not have at all. King, while probably won't get drafted near as high as Brown, has things NBA coaches can work on. Wooten does not have any of that. He's pretty much having to learn the game completely, and I don't think his size/athleticism combo is enough for an NBA team to invest in with how much time and training he needs.